Flue opening stop os



Jan. 31, 1933-; F. c. BRITTON, SR

FLUE OPENING STOP OR CLOSER Filed Aug. 20, 1931 21mm Y Z'ZZ07L5/1 Patented Jan. 31, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT easier.

FREDERICK C. BRITTON, SR., OF PETERSBURG, INDIANA FLUE OPENING STOPOB. CLOSER Application filed August 20, 1931. Serial No. 558,352.

This invention relates to devices for closto a chimney flue, the front wall of which is ing the stove pipe opening to chimney fines designated by the numeral 3. This pipe and relates particularly to a device of this opening has the usual liner a therein which character which is locked in position. may be of metal or any other suitable fire The primary object of the present invenresisting material such as terra cotta, or the tion is to provide a flue opening or hole closlike. The device embodying the present ining device of the usual fiat or plate like charvention comprises a plate member 5, to the acter which has associated therewith adjustinner face of which are secured the relaable elements which are designed to engage tively long resilient arms 6. Each of these 1 over the inner end of the chimney pipe openarms, as shown in Figure 1, has its forward 59 ing to secure the cover plate firmly in position. end turned to form an attaching terminal 7 Another object of the invention is to prowhich is riveted or otherwise suitably sevide a means for preventing heated gases, cured to the inner face of the plate 5, as which are passing through the chimney, shown. Each army 6 is further formed to 1 reaching the outer end of the stove pipe openprovide an arcuately formed forward por- .65

ing where the cover plate is located, and thus tion 8 which merges into a straight rear pordamaging the wall surface through the heattion 9 and terminates in an outwardly diing thereof. rected angular portion or finger 10. The por- A still further object of the invention is to tions 8 and 9 of each arm are joined through provide a device of the character above dean abruptly outturned shoulder 11 and as scribed, in which the holding or securing shown the arms are so secured to the plate means therefor may be readily manipulated, 5 as to have the convex surfaces of the arcueither for securing the plate in position or for ate portions 8 in opposed relation.

releasing it, from the outside of the stove Mounted upon the arms 6 is a disk 12 which )i e o enin is of sli 'htly less diameter than the interior 1 P P g g The invent-ion will be best understood from diameter of the liner 4 which the plate 5 a consideration of the following detailed decovers. This disk 12 has a pair of slots 13 script-ion taken in connection with the acformed therethrough on opposite sides of the companying drawing forming part of the center through which the arms 6 extend and specification, with the understanding, howat the central portion thereof is an apert 14: so ever, that the invention is not confined to over which is secured a nut 15, by means of any strict conformity with the showing of a cap 16 which is riveted to the disk. the drawing but may be changed or modified The central portion of the plate 5 is proso long as such changes or modifications id d ith an aperture 17 th h hi h mark no material departure from the salient ext d th r lativ ly l Screw 18. Th features of the invention, as expressed in the Outer d f th Screw i id d ith a appended claims. slotted head 19 which bears against the outer In the dr wi g, g r 1 Shows veltlchl face of the plate, while the inner end, which Section thr g & P0111011 the Wall h is threaded, passes through and has threaded lhceht the Chimney h g the ChWlCe connection with the nut 15 which is secured to embodying the present 1nvent1on in position th di k 12,

i t p p lf g leading h the {1119- From the foregoing description, taken in Flgll 2 15 a sfctlohal taken connection with the accompanying drawing, stant1a11y 011 th 11118 of Flame it will be readily seen that upon rotating the f rr ng 110W more particularly to the screw 18 in the proper direction while push- T drawing, wherein like numerals 0f lefering inwardly thereon, the disk 12 may be ence indicate corresponding parts in the forced away from the plate 5 on the arms views, the numeral 1 indicates a portion of 6 and it will thus ride on to or against the a chimney wall through which is formed shoulder portions 11 of the arms and there 59 a pipe opening 2 leading from within a room by draw the free ends thereof together as 1-1 shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. The arms may then be extended into the pipe opening so as to position the plate 5 against the outer end thereof and to locate the free ends so that when they are again allowed to move apart the portions 10 thereof will extend across the inner edge of the liner 4 in the manner illustrated. It will, of course, be readily seen that by reversely rotating the screw 18, the disk 12 will be drawn out toward the plate 5 so as to bear against the forwardly curved portions 8 of the arms and thus cause the free ends to be forced apart. In addition to the function performed by the disk 12 of actuating the arms when the screw 18 is rotated, it serves to prevent heat reaching the plate 5 and thus damaging the wall surface against which the plate bears.

By securing the plate 5 in position in the manner illustrated and described, it will be readily seen that back drafts through the chimney flue, no matter how violent, will not force the plate from position and thus cause the passage of smoke into the room into which the chimney pipe opening opens. The plate 12 prevents the gathering of soot next to the outer cap and this prevents soot fires which are the cause of so many confiagrations. Furthermore, this plate 12 will tend to prevent the plate 5 from being forced out of position by back firing.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A chimney pipe opening cover comprising a plate adapted to cover one end of the opening, a pair of relatively long resilient arms each secured at one end to one face of the plate and each having its other end formed for engagement across the edge of the opposite end of the opening, a shield disk disposed in spaced relation to said plate and slidably mounted on said arms and of a diameter to snugly close the opening, means connecting said disk with the plate whereby the disk may be shifted relative to the plate, and means whereby the shifting of the disk will effect the flexing of the arms relative to one another, to move their free ends into position across an edge of the opening.

2. A chimney pipe opening cover comprising a plate, a pair of relatively long arm members each connected at one end to one face of said plate, each of said arms comprising an arcuate portion and a straight portion, said arcuate and straight portions of the arms being joined by an outwardly rounded shoulder, the arcuate portions of the arms being adjacent the plate and arranged with the convex surfaces in opposed relation, the free end of each arm terminating in a laterally directed finger, a disk having apertures therethrough on opposite sides of the center through which said arms pass, the arcuate portions of the arms being positioned in the disk apertures, a threaded nut secured to the center of the disk and overlying anaperture therethrough, and a screw member extending through the center of said plate and through said nut, said screw being freely rotatable in the plate whereby the disk may be shifted thereby on the arcuate portions of the arms relative to the shoulders thereof, to effect relative movement between the free ends of the arms.

3. A chimney pipe opening cover, comprising a plate, a relatively long screw extended through and rotatably mounted in said plate and having its inner end portion threaded, a disk disposed in spaced parallel relation to said plate and of a diameter to snugly close the opening, said screw having its threaded end extended centrally through said disk, means for threadably coupling the screw with the disk whereby rotation of the screw will effect the movement of the disk relative to the plate, and movable means for engaging the inner edge of the opening to secure the plate in position over the outer end thereof and shiftable to operative or inoperative position by the movement of said disk.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my sign ature.

FREDERICK C. BRITTON, SR. 

